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Middle East

Through its work in the Middle East, CITpax seeks to address the sources of tension as well as the opportunities for cooperation at the local and regional level. It does so through a combination of activities that range from classic Track II diplomacy and mediation exercises, to policy dialogues with experts and officials, as well as public events.

CITpax also engages in ¨Track 1,5¨ diplomacy in close cooperation with government officials from inside and outside of the region in an effort to promote the search for sustainable solutions to the conflicts in the Middle East.

Geographically, its activities focus mainly on the Levant with special attention to the Israeli –Palestinian conflict and its various ramifications and issues such as the status of the Old City of Jerusalem, refugees, regional security and political architecture. The role of regional actors such as Iran and Turkey as well as Irak are also subjects of analysis and discussion.

On 2 March 2015, the Toledo International Centre for Peace (CITpax) with the support of the Canadian Embassy in Spain and in cooperation with the IE School of International Relations and Esglobal, organised a conference under the title: “The New Regional Role of Iran in Taming Violence in the Middle East”. Dr. Ramin Jahanbegloo, Associate Professor of Political Science in the University of Toronto and Roberto Toscano, former Ambassador of Italy to Iran, analysed the position and the expectations of Iran the current context of growing sectarian violence in the region.

On 17 November 2014, the Toledo International Centre for Peace (CITpax) in cooperation with the Office of the Secretary General for Defense Policy (SEGENPOL) of the Spanish Ministry of Defense, organised a round-table under the title: “UNIFIL: an assessment in the light of the current political and military contexts II”.Brigadier-General (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, from the Ministry of Strategic Affairs of Israel and Shlomo Ben Ami, Vice-president of CITpax and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, presented their analysis of the current situation in Lebanon and the Middle East in the li Read more...

On November 5 2014, CITpax and ECFR organised a round table to discuss about Iran and the current political and security context in the Middle East. Elllie Geranmayeh, Policy Fellow in the Middle East and North Africa Programme of ECFR, Dr. Emma Hooper, Senior Associate Researcher at CIDOB and Roberto Toscano, Former Ambassador of Italy in Iran, analysed the détente with Iran, the future of the nuclear file and the ongoing negotiations, as well as the role of Iran as a regional actor and its strategy against ISIS.